Town’s Dramatic Defeat To The Hammers Leaves Me With Plenty Of Optimism

I know I could sound premature but you can call me a quitter as you may wish. I have pretty much signed off Huddersfield Town’s campaign this season at the start of 2019. My heart is already thinking of our campaign in the Championship next season.

I truly can’t wait to see us welcoming the likes of Stoke City, Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, or Hull City. Or seeing us travelling to former European giant home ground, Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa. Nor forgetting the possibility of renewing our rivalry with Leeds United if they bottle their promotion prospect.

Hence why these days, I look forward to every Town game with no pressure or expectation. I will savour every game that is left this season in the best manner possible without trying to be critical towards the players and coaches. I’m aware this isn’t the best attitude where one can ask for from a fan.

But we need to accept the reality that this season, our anticipation has gone nowhere but down from the Premier League. Every supposition and thesis that we took into consideration didn’t yield us the outcome which we desired.

Coming back to last weekend game at West Ham United. It was again one of those game to me I knew we were already on the wrong foot. The depths of the Hammer squad and their budget isn’t a luxury that we are accustomed too. Couple with the fact they have a stadium with a huge attendance (plus a boring atmosphere), I said to myself let’s just enjoy the game.

And boy did we had a huge treat!

The game started with the usual pattern from Town. We kept a big part of the possession and making effort to crack that West Ham defence. As always, when the opportunity arises, we don’t score. Business, as usual, I guess from Huddersfield Town.

And then comes the unwanted mistake which gifts a chance for West Ham to open score. Aaron Rowe made a careless mistake for clipping Manuel Lanzini inside the penalty. Not the kind of mistake you want to commit on your first team debut. There is only one way the referee was going to point, the penalty spot. Mark Noble took the kick and the Hammers were a goal up.

I don’t want to be harsh on Rowe. He is still young and has a bright future ahead of him for this club. I’m coach Jan Siewert has plans for him next season. If anything, its valuable lesson for him to learn from.

Back to the game.

Now you would expect at this stage Town will falter to easily given the harsh circumstances. Scoring hasn’t come easily for us this season, only 3 goals since January. I thought we will revert to the usual drop back just avoid any further damage. But no one in their most sane mind would have predicted what was going to happen next.

Within two minutes Town was back on level terms. Juninho Bacuna outsmarting every player inside the penalty area to head the ball in from an Aaron Mooy’s corner. Suddenly, we got a thing going on here. Then came 30 minutes mark, another promising effort from Town. A free-kick from Alex Pritchard saw him passing into Chris Lowe who found space on the left. He provided low-cross for Karlan Grant who drives it home to give Town the lead.

It was an unbelievable feeling to know that the Town that I know, who struggling for goals this year have managed to score twice. But more was to come.

The home side came back hammering in the second half in search for an equalizer. As they were looking more dangerous then came the most the climactic moment of the game. Grant receiving the ball from a well-threaded pass of Terence Kongolo, he brought the ball forward before unleashing a superbly strike a golazo into the top corner past Lukasz Fabianski. Town were now 3–1 up and my eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

But what was bound to happen in the final 25 minutes of the game was going to leave everyone speechless. I hate to go into this part of the game in details. I’m sure there are countless of match reports available out there for your reading pleasure.

Not that it was painful for me, no not at all. Not that it surprises me either considering our vulnerability in defending this season. But that didn’t stop me from posting the following on my Facebook wall when were 3–1 up.

Obviously, I was backfired in a humorous way, big time! There is no sense of regret of me doing that. Coming back to the start article, I had no expectation and there is no pressure at all. Like every neutral, I was enjoying a great game of football even more so it is my beloved club that is involved here.

Coach Jan Siewert had every reason to be mad during the post-match interview after what he had witnessed. West Ham’s equalizing goal was a typical schoolboy defensive error in which we left Chicarito unmarked inside the penalty area. The winning goal came due to Jonas Lossl coming from his position which left everything open.

Despite this loss, I still see a good future for this club. Summer signings such Bacuna and Adama Diakhaby have improved tremendously. Grant is just the kind of striker that bang goals for us in the Championship. Jo Gorenc Stankovic is having a renaissance revival in his career since Siewert installed him in the starting eleven. I can still see Pritchard running this midfield for us next season.

I do hope Mooy and Kongolo will stick around next season but their stocks have risen up despite the club’s struggle this season. I can see a Premiership suitor coming in for their signature. Schindler is always a dip in form this term, still thinks he can be a decent Championship level top class of centre back. Lowe and Erik Durm are other players that have a good shot next season.

The rest in my view will be looking to head the exit door in seeking employment at another club rather sticking around to play a division below. There is plenty of deadwood that needs to be cleared out by the club before new recruitment can come in.

For now anyway, on to the next game!